Leif Jenssen (February 16, 1879 – 1923) was a Norwegian-American architect responsible for designing a number of buildings in Duluth,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. He is most known for designing Pilgrim Congregational Church.

Biography

Jenssen was born in Søndre Odalen, Innlandet County,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

, in 1879 to Hans Jenssen, a teacher, and Isabella Christiana Lovise née Andreassen. He had an older brother, Jens, and younger siblings Arne, Kolbjørn, Reidar, and Lorents. He grew up in

Hamar Hamar is a List of cities in Norway, town in Hamar Municipality in Innlandet Counties of Norway, county, Norway. Hamar is the administrative centre of Hamar Municipality. It is located in the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Hedmarken. ...

. In 1895, he enrolled at in

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...

, the country's leading technical school. He studied architecture, graduating in 1899. He then designed villas for the town of Hamar, including one for a tax collector named Sørsdal, located at Høyensalgata 53, in 1899, and the Trætteberg villa at Sverdrupsgata 23 in 1901. From 1899 to 1901, he worked in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

for the architect Michaelsen and in the city architect's office; Jenssen also designed the cell building at Grønland Police Station in Oslo at this time. In May 1901, Jenssen emigrated to the United States, working as a draftsman for two years in New York City. He then moved to Chicago in 1903, where he married Dagney Larsen. The couple had three children. In 1909, he moved to Duluth and worked for German & Lignell,

Frederick German Frederick George German (November 9, 1863 – October 13, 1937) was a Canadian-American architect who designed a number of notable buildings in Duluth, Minnesota. Biography German was born in Bath, Ontario, on November 9, 1863, and attended ...

and

Anton Werner Lignell Anton Werner Lignell (November 7, 1867 – February 9, 1954) was a Swedish-speaking Finnish architect known for designing buildings in Butte, Montana; Duluth, Minnesota; and two courthouses in Minnesota. His style tended towards Beaux-Arts a ...

's architectural firm. After the firm was dissolved, Jenssen started German & Jenssen in the Exchange Building and worked with German for a time, likely from 1913 until his death in 1923. Together they designed many buildings in the area. Most well known is Pilgrim Congregational Church at 2310 East 4th Street. They also designed the United Protestant Church in the Morgan Park neighborhood, Lincoln Elementary School, Superior Central High School, an addition to the Bradley Building, and a number of residences, including the Starkey House. Jenssen and German also designed the

Virginia City Hall Virginia City Hall is the seat of government for Virginia, Minnesota, United States. It was designed by architect Frederick German and built from 1923 to 1924. It continues to house municipal offices, the Virginia Police Department, and a public ...

in Virginia, Minnesota; Elwin Berg was later noted as the associated architect responsible for the project. In 1919, Jenssen became a member of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

. He was also a member of the Architects' Association of Manitoba and the Duluth Engineers' Club. Jenssen died of a stroke in 1923 at 44 years of age.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jenssen, Leif 1879 births 1923 deaths People from Odalen 20th-century Norwegian architects 20th-century American architects Norwegian emigrants to the United States